New Divide
by Memories Left Abandoned
Summary: Slight AU. After Sirius' death, Harry refuses to let the same fate befall anyone. Unfortunately, Luna is too close to the edge and falls, with Harry saving her just in time. When she wakes, she is enabled with a power even she can't understand. T/safety.
1. Prologue: If I Die

All Harry knew was that he couldn't let it happen again.

He crossed the room with a purpose, intending to fight right next to the Veil, but not at an angle at which he could fall through. That way, should he see someone getting too close or ready to slip, he could save him or her…probably sacrificing himself in the process. It was a faulty plan, at best, but it was better than letting the next victim fall through to their death while he stood by and watched, helpless. The sorrow he'd originally felt at Sirius' death was ebbing, replaced with even more anger at the Death Eaters and a fierce protectiveness for everyone around him.

He'd gotten them all into this mess, and he would die getting them out if he had to.

He threw curses at random Death Eaters as he crossed the room, trying desperately to end the battle before it got any worse. When he reached his destination, he ignored the alluring voices tempting him to cross through the Veil and continued fighting, feeling ridiculously outnumbered.

And then he locked eyes with Luna.

She was fighting a Death Eater he recognized and hated, and his stomach immediately boiled. Lucius Malfoy was throwing every curse known to man at Luna, and she was dancing and blocking, having very little chance of throwing an offensive spell back. A hundred plans ran through his mind. He couldn't yell at Luna: that would distract her and probably get her killed. He couldn't yell at Lucius: he would just get himself cursed, or Lucius would finally throw a Killing curse at Luna before turning to him. But she was getting dangerously close to the Veil…

Blocking a curse from behind, he threw a Stunning spell at Lucius, which missed, but distracted him momentarily, allowing Luna to cast another Stunning spell. Unfortunately, hers also missed, and Lucius sneered at the girl before brandishing his wand again. "Avada Kedavra!"

"Luna!" shouted Harry.

A jet of green light shot from Lucius' wand, and she twisted, missing the curse by mere centimeters. She looked terrified, and Harry realized somewhere in the back of his mind that it was the first time that he had ever seen her look that way. She took a step back…

Harry was running without seeing what was in front of him, desperate to save her from the same fate Sirius had encountered. The battle seemed to have fallen silent, noticing Luna's struggle and providing a timelier soundtrack. He was running faster than he ever had in his life…but she was falling so quickly…

He reached the Veil and, without really thinking before he acted, he threw his hand out and pulled her back, the effort of which threw them both backward. Luna landed directly on top of Harry, knocking the breath out of him.

She blinked once before falling off of him. "Oh. Harry." She was starting to form more words when her eyes shut and she passed out, and Harry tried frantically to wake her up.

_And if I die  
See you won't be so close to me  
And I won't be the one  
Who sticks around  
_"If I Die" Something Corporate


	2. One: Only Ashes

When Luna woke, she had no idea of how much time had passed. Hours, days—she could have been in a coma for three years and she wouldn't have known.

She did know, however, that she had a massive headache. The sounds of a typical hospital wing were blaring like sirens in her head and the bright lights that provided vision to most nearly blinded her—she shut her eyes nearly as soon as she opened them.

She could hear voices but couldn't attach faces to them in her mind. Somewhere outside of her realm of awareness, Healers discussed her condition—she was fine, that didn't make much sense—the consequences of her accident—were there going to be consequences? She felt fine at the moment—and whether or not she would even wake up, and they weren't necessarily positive. Voices she recognized—including one she believed to be her father—argued back, convinced of her vitality. Finally, she painfully opened her eyes.

They immediately squinted against the overly obnoxious lighting—honestly, people are trying to be healed here—but at least she could see—albeit blurrily—the figures around her. Three Healers stood on one side of a circle, which was completed by Mr. Weasley, Professor Lupin, and—she'd been correct—her father.

There was one figure whose voice she had not yet heard, and she eventually distinguished this figure to be Harry Potter.

"Harry?" she muttered, and her voice was much coarser than she expected it to be.

Immediately she was descended upon by the Healers while the adults tried to make Harry get up from his seat. To Luna's surprise, however, he didn't move, and for that she was grateful.

"Luna?" came her father's hesitant, unnecessarily loud voice. A large, brightly dressed figure obscured her view of everyone else. "Luna, dear, are you alright?"

"Yes, Daddy," she answered, and her voice was a bit stronger. "But I could use a glass of water."

Instantly a glass was handed to her, as if they had simply been waiting for her to give the command. That was silly, she decided—why hadn't they just handed it to her? She took a small sip and set it aside, still unsatisfied, but not really with the water.

"Luna?"

"I'm fine, Daddy," she affirmed with a nod. "I'm just a little tired."

"Are you sure?" His nervousness leaked into his voice, and she could now tell he was afraid of losing her as he had his wife.

"Yes. I'm okay, really." She took his hand. "I promise."

He nodded, still unconvinced, but finally he released her hand from his vice grip and backed up. She looked to Professor Lupin and Mr. Weasley, and they both had an inexplicable wondering look. She looked to Harry, and although he didn't look in the curious in the slightest, he look worried, upset. She frowned.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to speak to Harry alone for a few moments."

Harry looked up and met her eyes—he looked absolutely miserable—and she gave him a small, confident smile. Slowly, the adults filed out of the room—her father the last of them after ascertaining that she would be fine—until she and Harry were alone.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked.

"A little less than a day," he answered.

Luna looked away. "That doesn't make any sense. Everyone looks so worried about me."

He frowned, the lines of his abnormally matured face growing even deeper. "Don't you remember what happened?"

"Not really," she answered. "I remember I was fighting Draco Malfoy's father, and then I fell…and that's about it." When Harry was silent, she continued. "He didn't hit me with a Killing curse or something, did he?"

He sighed. "No. When you fell, I grabbed your hand to save you."

"Oh." She smiled. "Thank you, then."

"You're welcome." Clearly something was still on his mind, and she conveyed this by raising her eyebrows at him.

"And that's it?" she prompted.

"No," he answered, and he looked away again. "According to the Healers, your body still experienced death, because you still fell part of the way through the Veil."

She blinked. "I don't think I understand."

"They were doubtful you were going to wake up."

"Oh." His bluntness surprised her when she considered his usual demeanor. "Well, I'm alright now, so…"

He nodded but didn't say anything. He still looked conflicted, and she frowned.

"Harry," she began. "What else is bothering you?"

At precisely that moment, another person entered the room. He was older, haggard—his eyes appeared gaunt as he searched for what he needed. She recognized him, but her mind was slow in putting a name to his face. She expected Harry to fall silent, unwilling to answer her question in the presence of an adult.

But, to her surprise, Harry answered her anyway. "I just…" He looked away, trying to find the words. "I wanted…" He shook his head and paused for a moment. Finally, he breathed deeply, took her hand, and started again. "I just really wanted you to wake up."

She wasn't sure how to respond, but she was oddly aware of his hand still clutching hers.

"Luna, are you alright? You look really pale."

"I'm alright, I think," she answered, but even she was doubtful of her answer.

"I'm going to get a Healer, alright?" He squeezed her hand. "It's probably just a side effect or something, but…" He frowned and left, leaving her to contemplate her guest.

She observed him for a moment. He watched frantically—but helplessly—as Harry left the room, then sat down in apparent defeat next to Luna's bed.

"Who are you?" he muttered. "One of Harry's friends, obviously, but I don't remember him talking about you…"

"I'm Luna Lovegood," she answered.

He nearly fell off the chair, and when he managed to regain his composure after a few moments of deep breathing, he looked at her again. "Who?"

"Luna Lovegood," she repeated, and suddenly it dawned on her. "And you're Sirius Black."

Piece by piece and bit by bit

_I'll break this down for you real slow_

_But I can't whisper all of this,  
And can't seem to let this go_

"Only Ashes" Something Corporate

A/N: I apologize for the obnoxious number of dashes in this chapter, and probably in chapters to come—I have a reason =) Also, it won't be strictly songs by Something Corporate. I just really felt that song fit this chapter, and it's been stuck in my head for days.


	3. Two: Leave Out All The Rest

Although she couldn't see it herself, Luna's face mirrored Sirius' exactly; both were flabbergasted, mouths hanging slightly open and blinking fairly rapidly. Sirius, being older and more experienced, managed an answer first.

"How did you know that?" he asked.

"I saw you," she answered. "I was there, at the Department of Mysteries, when you…"

"Died," he finished.

"That's what I thought happened," she answered. "But here you are, talking to me just like you're alive."

"I'm dead," he confirmed. "Or I'm having an insane dream. A really long, ridiculously detailed, insane dream."

Luna remembered the feeling of Harry's hand in hers. "I'm definitely not dreaming, so I can rule that out," she said thoughtfully. "Which would mean you're probably not either."

"If I'm dead, and you're definitely not dreaming, how can you see me?" asked Sirius.

Luna blinked and thought hard. "I honestly have no idea."

Frustrated, he stood and began pacing. "Think back to what happened to you before now," he said.

"Well, I woke up and Harry was here, and all the Healers—"

"Not now," he said impatiently. "Before you got here. After my death. Fill in the blanks."

"I think you need to relax," she answered. "It will probably affect my life a lot more than it will affect yours—oh, wait. You don't have a life, do you."

Sirius blinked in surprise, but didn't have a chance to answer before she began to speak again.

"After you died, Harry got super protective of everyone because, unless I miss my guess, he's blaming your death on himself, and—"

"It's not his fault," said Sirius immediately. "I was standing too close to the Veil, and he can't blame that on himself."

"I know that," she answered serenely. "But it's not your fault, either. It's that woman's fault—what was her name, again?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange," he answered, a scowl forming on his face. "She's—she was—my cousin."

"Oh," said Luna. "That would make for some awkward family reunions."

Sirius blinked again. "Go on."

"He started to move toward the Veil—Harry, that is. I think he was going to try to stop anyone from falling into it and sacrifice himself, if he had to."

"He has a saving people thing," said Sirius, rolling his eyes.

"Well, personally, I'm grateful for it," said Luna, a small smile appearing on her face. "I think he's quite brave."

"I won't argue that," agreed Sirius, a smile appearing on his face, too.

She continued. "I was fighting Draco Malfoy's father—I always thought he was a bit nasty, although I never expected their family to be in league with Voldemort…" She broke off, contemplating this, until Sirius brought her back to the conversation with a small "hem, hem" reminiscent of Professor Umbridge. "I must have gotten too close to the Veil, because I fell…Harry said that he grabbed my hand before I could fall all the way through."

"And that's all you remember?" prompted Sirius when she was silent for a moment.

"Mhm," she agreed before adding, "although Harry mentioned something about the Healers being unsure of what the consequences of half-experience death would be."

"Evidently the consequences are seeing the dead," Sirius sighed.

Luna blinked. "You seem sad, for some reason other than being dead," she said.

He looked away for a moment, and she swore she could see a tear forming in his eye when he turned back. "I never got to say goodbye. I just left everyone behind."

She frowned. "My mom never got to say goodbye, either. She was doing one of her experiments, and then…she was dead." She took his hand. "He understands. He blames himself, not you. He's not mad or upset at you, I promise."

He met her eye, and she gave him an encouraging smile.

"Luna?" questioned a voice, and she gave a startled jump when she realized Harry was standing beside her.

"Harry," she breathed, trying to regain her composure.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked, glancing at the chair.

In a panic, she glanced quickly at Sirius—only to realize he was gone.

"No one," she lied. "I find that it sometimes helps if one talks out loud to themselves, to more sensibly reason things out."

He blinked and inwardly shrugged. She was, after all, Luna Lovegood. "You look a little better. Are you feeling better?"

"Oh—yes, I believe so," she answered. She noticed the Healer at his shoulder, the one who he'd left to find in the first place. "Do you know when I'll be able to leave?" she asked, directing the question at her.

"Soon, dear," answered the Healer, waving her wand to assess Luna's condition. "Very soon."

Luna nodded and looked away. She realized with a jolt that she hadn't seen anyone else since… "Harry," she questioned, looking back at him. "Is everyone else all right?"

"Yes," he said with a sigh, sinking down into the chair he had occupied before. "They're a little shaken up, but physically unharmed."

Luna frowned. He had some much on his shoulders, between Sirius' death and the prophecy…she didn't want to be one more burden. But when she tried to convey this, the words wouldn't come out right. Instead, she muttered quietly, "Thank you for being here."

He nodded. "You're welcome."

They sat in silence, listening to the Healers bustle around the ward attending to patients, until Luna caught a fragment of conversation from a few beds away.

"…either way, she won't be the same ever again," said a voice, apparently resigned.

"She's a strong girl," answered another voice, and Luna recognized this one to be her father's. "She pulled through her mother's death without any damage."

There was a pregnant pause, as if the first voice didn't believe this to be true. "That was an emotional hardship," it answered. "This is a physical injury, however internal it may be."

"Maybe she will be the same," argued her father. "Maybe she won't change."

"I hate to be the one to inform of this," sighed the first, "but even if she doesn't suffer any consequences from her fall, she won't be the same ever again."

Luna met Harry's eyes, and they both silently agreed with the first.

_Don't resent me,_

_And when you're feeling empty,_

_Keep me in your memory,_

_Leave out all the rest…_

"Leave Out All The Rest" Linkin Park

A/N: Sorry about the delay. I had writer's block and then no internet access. Sorry =) Am I getting Luna close to in character? Or am I wildly off? I'd like to know, so leave a comment in your review, please. =) Have a great day!


	4. Three: Closer Than We Think

Luna returned home a day later, completely fine—unless seeing dead people—a dead man, really, or at least so far—isn't considered fine. _Stranger things have happened_, she thought. Despite this assertion, she decided to make full use of the library at Hogwarts the moment she got back to see if anything like what was happening to her had ever happened to anyone else.

With this confidence, Luna went about her days much the same as she had before. Her summer began, just like it had in years past. She set to her homework, accomplishing quite a bit within the first few weeks. She went for walks, she daydreamed often, and she helped her father with _The Quibbler_ when he asked for it.

It was just all done with an observer.

It wasn't that she minded Sirius' presence—at times it was quite a comfort to have someone there, to remind her she wasn't alone. But his near-constant presence at her side began to take its toll on her patience and her sanity.

"Not that I don't appreciate your being here," she said to him one day as she worked on a Charms essay, "but I'm not sure I understand why you're here with me, someone you didn't know in real life, and not with Harry, or perhaps Professor Lupin."

He was a bit shocked that she was actually speaking to him—their silence had become much more comfortable after a few days of neither of them saying anything—but he managed a response quickly. "I don't really have anywhere else to go."

"Certainly you do," she answered. "I'm sure you have many friends who would be grateful for your presence now that you're gone. When I die, I'll probably visit many of my old friends as a spirit."

"You misunderstand," he said kindly. "It's not that I don't have friends that I can go back to. It's…" He frowned, trying to find the right words. "I don't want to become invisible."

She blinked and put her quill down. "I'm not sure I understand."

"You can see me, even though I'm gone," he explained. "If I go to see Harry, or Remus, or anyone, really, they can't see me. I'm there, but it's like I'm not. And when I'm with you, I'm here. I'm more alive, even though I'm dead."

She smiled a bit. "I always thought you were the sort that wasn't afraid of death."

"I always thought I was that sort, too," he admitted, and he laughed a bit.

She tried to return to her essay—a few more lines and it would be sufficient—but something was nagging her, making her want to return to conversation with Sirius. She fought the urge for a few moments, attempting to write something decent, before realizing she had written "In conclusion, the Wrackspurt sees dead people, has conversations with them, and is occasionally invisible." She sighed and put her quill down again.

"Finished?" he questioned.

"No," she answered, "but I can finish it later."

"From what I've seen so far, that's not like you," he pointed out.

"I'm distracted," she admitted. "I'd rather procrastinate and write a good essay then finish it now and get a T."

"Good point," he said, "although I was always the sort who procrastinated and got a T anyway."

Luna laughed. "Essays weren't your strong suit?"

"Organized learning wasn't my strong suit," he admitted with a laugh. "I learned the spells and whatnot just fine, but I couldn't explain the theory behind them at all."

"I've always thought the theory behind them was the most interesting part," she said. "It's no good learning a spell if you don't know why it works."

"As long as it works, it shouldn't really matter," he argued.

"The best wizard knows why his wand works the way it does."

"I know exactly why my wand works the way it does." A sly smile crossed his face.

Luna blinked. "What?"

His smile faded. "Never mind."

She stood. "I think I'd like to take a walk. Would you care to accompany me?"

He shrugged. "Why not?"

They headed out the door, Luna walking and Sirius half-floating beside her. They were silent again, as they had been before, but she felt much more at ease with her observer knowing she had invited him to be there. She wandered down the lane, happy to be among nature, when she saw a figure sitting, half-concealed, behind a tree.

"You aren't very well hidden, you know," she said to the figure.

It jumped and, shaking its head, turned to face her. "I didn't need to be well-hidden," he said. "Just well enough that no one would look here."

"Hello, Harry," she greeted, and she could feel the presence at her side becoming restless. "I didn't know you lived around here."

"I don't," he said. "I'm staying with the Weasleys for the summer."

"Oh, they do live around here, don't they?" she observed.

"Er, yeah."

Luna moved to sit down, next to where Harry had been sitting before. "So why were you hiding—or not hiding? Whichever applies."

Harry sighed and looked into the distance. "There are still interviewers bombarding the house about what happened at the Department of Mysteries. Everyone wants to know whether or not I'm the Chosen One…it's tiring, really. Hasn't anyone tried to interview you?"

"No," she said with a shrug. "But I'm not Harry Potter, so I don't suppose they're very interested in me. You do make a fascinating journalism topic, you know?"

"Um, thanks, I think," he said.

"You're quite welcome," she said. For a while they sat in silence before she turned to him. "So are you the Chosen One?"

He hesitated and frowned, debating whether or not to tell her.

"You don't have to say," she affirmed. "I know how much hard it can be when everyone wants something from you, and you can't give it to them. I get that."

He nodded and leaned his head against the tree. "I am," he said.

"You're what?" she asked.

He smiled a bit. "The Chosen One."

"Oh." She looked away and seemed tired for the first time. "Alright, then."

Sirius sighed and disappeared, feeling oddly alone. He supposed death did that to a man.

_We will bathe in the sea of disbelief,_

_But we will not go quickly_

_No we will not die so easily_

"Closer Than We Think" by the Classic Crime

A/N: I'm really sorry about the delay…I'm in Baton Rouge all week and can't find an Internet connection at the campsite =( No big deal, I guess. I can just find a hot spot at a restaurant or something later this week and post whatever I have. In the mean time, it would be great if you could pimp this to your friends… I really like this plotline and story and I think it's going somewhere good. So if you think of me, that would be nice =)


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